Environmental Efforts in Production and Sales

Environmental Impact Data Summary (FY2016)

The Yaskawa Group emits CO2 and waste materials as a result of using energy, such as electricity, gas, etc., and resources, such as components/materials, water, etc., for manufacturing, sales, engineering, etc., of electrical products and systems, and other related businesses. The above figure illustrates the status of environmental loads of our production and sales activities. We also manage the amount of energy used, CO2 emissions, and amounts of waste materials and valuables generated from business activities of our domestic and international group companies. The scope of management targets group companies of high energy usage amount (accounting for approximately 90% of the energy used by the entire group) and one business units have presently been added as targets. Going forward, we shall promote the expansion of the scope of management and the reduction of environmental loads in accordance with increases in the number of business centers and energy usage amount. The graph at the right shows the energy-derived CO2 emissions of the Yaskawa Group in FY2016.

Preventing Global Warming

Initiatives to Save Energy

Yaskawa conducted activities to promote conservation objectives, aiming at a “10% reduction (versus FY2012) in energy consumption per unit of production volume” targeted in its 2018 mid-term environmental plan. In FY2016, an increase in energy use due to the impact resulting from new factory construction and extreme summer heat resulted in 7.2% reduction compared with FY2012, which worsened 1.9% from the previous year.

While continuing energy-saving investments, such as the introduction of LED lighting and upgrades to the newest air-conditioning equipment, we are also implementing activities aimed at optimizing the operations of facilities linked with the energy visualization system having already been introduced at all plants.

We have also focused on education of personnel in charge of energy conservation by holding practical seminars on-site on cleaning of air-conditioning heat exchangers, etc., through an outside instructor in energy conservation.

Note: The conversion factor is of 0.42 kg-CO2/kWh used for calculation of CO2 emissions from electric power.

Air conditioning heat exchangers are cleaned

In-house seminar on energy conservation

Resource Recycling and Resource Saving

Recycling Activities

Initiatives were made to introduce thorough separations of refuse to enable efficient recycling of unused items, vendors were cultivated, and the company succeeded in maintaining zero emissions for industrial waste.

Initiatives for recycling

Certificate of Appreciation

A change in work clothes resulted in the mass generation of work wear, which were offered free of charge for reuse as automotive upholstery. These activities were recognized with the awarding of the Fukuoka governor’s award for outstanding efforts to promote a recycling-oriented society and a prize offered by the city of Kitakyushu for the promotion of 3R activities (a recycling award).